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"This document was published prior to the publication of OSHA's final rule on Ergonomics Program (29 CFR 1910.900, November 14, 2000), and therefore does not necessarily address or reflect the provisions set forth in the final standard."

News Release USDL: 96-402
Wednesday, September 25, 1996
Contact: Frank Kane, (202) 219-8151
After Hours: (703) 360-7080
Training Institutue: HELEN BEALL, (847) 297-4810

Agency Extends Existing Grants for Year

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced $2,372,000 in extended training grants for 26 nonprofit groups to help employers and employees reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.

The grants were initially awarded in fiscal years 1994 and 1995. Because of delayed appropriations this fiscal year, OSHA decided to extend existing grants for an additional year rather than conduct an open competition for new grantees.

The grantees will develop educational materials and provide training on construction safety and health, ergonomics, lockout/tagout, logging safety, prevention of lifting injuries in medical care facilities, process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, and safety and health programs for small business.

"The education and training resulting from these grants will continue to strengthen OSHA's partnership with employers and employees in promoting safer and more healthy work environments," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear. "These grants are targeted to help reduce injuries and illnesses that result from hazards."

"It is significant that grants in two categories -- ergonomics and prevention of lifting injuries in medical care facilities -- will assist employers and workers in continuing their voluntary efforts to reduce injuries and illnesses caused by ergonomic hazards," Dear added. "OSHA is determined to do as much as possible to cope with ergonomic hazards -- one of the biggest occupational safety and health problems today."

Recipients of OSHA grants have already achieved considerable success in providing better workplace safety and health, Dear noted. For example, the National Safety Council, which used OSHA grants to conduct safety and health training for small businesses for two years, surveyed past trainees. The results of the survey showed that more than 80% of participants had implemented safety and health program changes in their workplace as a result of the training. Many of the participants had also conducted training for their employees.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) developed a training program addressing the prevention of back injuries in nursing homes. Not only are the union and other OSHA grantees using the program, but also OSHA is using parts of it in its nursing home initiative announced on Aug. 8, 1996.

Grantees whose grants are being extended in FY 1996 are:

Construction Safety and Health

• Chicagoland Construction Safety Council, Hillside, Ill., $135,000, to develop training on the effects of or hazards of crystalline silica in the construction industry; one program for workers and another for supervisors and managers. Training will be given to construction workers at risk for exposure to crystalline silica. About 500 people in midwestern states will be trained.

• Painters and Allied Trades Labor Management Cooperation Fund, Washington, D.C., $132,590, to continue to deliver a standardized 10-hour safety and health training program for painters throughout the country. Training also will be provided in fall protection and confined spaces. About 2,750 will be trained.

Ergonomics

• Communications Workers of America, Washington, D.C., $60,750, to continue a program of training trainers to instruct video display operators about ergonomics awareness. The grantee also will develop a videotape on video display terminals and ergonomics. About 1,200 people nationwide will be trained.

• Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, Boston, Mass., $81,495, to continue its program of providing three and four-hour ergonomics training sessions for workers in a broad range of occupations and industries. Training will be conducted in both English and Spanish and will be provided for about 550 workers in New England.

• SEIU Education and Support Fund, Washington, D.C., $76,184, to continue to train trainers and workers in the prevention of lifting injuries to nursing home workers. The grantee will also translate its training program manual into Spanish. About 700 people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

• United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Health and Safety Fund of North America, Washington, D.C., $79,408, to continue its ergonomics training for apprentices and journeymen. It also will train additional trainers and revise its ergonomics program for industrial carpenters. About 1,530 people nationwide will be trained.

• United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Washington, D.C., $67,648, to continue its training of trainers in the recognition of ergonomic hazards in meat, poultry and food processing plants. Following the training, the trainers will assist their co-workers in identifying ergonomic problems and talking to management about them. About 260 people nationwide will be trained.

• Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Workers, New York, N.Y., $90,000, to continue training members of local safety and health committees as local union discussion leaders. The training covers a range of safety and health topics, with emphasis on ergonomics. Following training, the trainees conduct safety and health education sessions for their locals. About 200 people nationwide will be trained.

Lockout/tagout

• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Washington, D.C., $135,883, to continue providing lockout/tagout training to workers involved in the repair and maintenance of machinery. The grantee also will develop a safety and health handbook for sewer and wastewater treatment plant workers and conduct a nationwide program on trenching and excavation safety. About 700 state and local government workers nationwide will be trained.

Logging

• Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Wash., $76,500, to continue to conduct seminars on OSHA's logging standard, provide on-site training for loggers, assist logging firms in implementing safety and health programs, and train loggers to conduct safety training at logging sites. About 920 people in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana will be trained.

• Lumberjack Resource Conservation and Development Council, Tomahawk, Wis., $104,000, to continue, working through the Forest Industry Safety Training Alliance, to conduct in-woods safety training, on-site mechanized equipment and truck driver training, and short training sessions for employers on ergonomics. The grantee will also conduct sessions for employers on the OSHA logging standard. About 3,310 people in Wisconsin and neighboring states will be trained.

• West Virginia University Research Corp., Morgantown, W.Va., $138,254, to continue to provide on-site assistance in the identification and correction of hazards in small logging companies. The grantee also provides worker safety and health training at logging sites and specialized training in chainsaw and skidder safety. About 1,190 people in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia will be trained. Prevention of Lifting Injuries in Medical Care Facilities.

• Healthcare Educational and Research Fund, Albany, N.Y., $94,500, to continue to provide a two-day train-the-trainer program addressing ergonomics and back injuries. The training is directed toward professionals who have safety and health responsibilities in health care facilities. About 200 people in New York State will be trained.

• Mercy Foundation, Des Moines, Iowa, $34,109, to continue to develop and work with ergonomic teams established as a result of previous training. These teams work with fellow employees to prevent lifting injuries. The program will be expanded to additional medical facilities where staff will be trained in ergonomic job-site analysis. About 340 people in Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska will be trained.

• New York State Public Employees Federation, Albany, N.Y., $67,500, to continue to provide training to workers in psychiatric centers operated by the State of New York in the prevention of back injuries. The program will be expanded to cover workers from state facilities dealing with developmentally disabled individuals. About 200 people in New York State will be trained.

• Toledo Hospital, Toledo, Ohio, $28,000, to develop a manual on preventing back injuries and to provide training on injury abatement. Training will be conducted at several medical facilities. About 400 people in Toledo will be trained.

• United Food and Commercial Workers, Washington, D.C., $48,644, to continue to train trainers employed by nursing homes to train other workers in the prevention of back injuries. Many of the trainers are safety committee members and safety stewards at their worksites. A total of 236 workers nationwide will be trained.

• University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif., $89,996, to continue to provide training to workers and managers in nursing homes using the training materials developed by the SEIU Education and Training Fund, another grantee. The university also assists nursing homes to implement a comprehensive back injury prevention program. About 920 people in California will be trained.

Process Safety Management

• Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, Lakewood, Colo., $128,583, to continue to provide training in the application of OSHA's standard for process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals for union members and their employers. The program will be expanded to cover incident/accident investigation. About 730 people nationwide will be trained.

Safety and Health Programs for Small Businesses

• Alice Hamilton Occupational Health Center, Washington, D.C., $131,700, to continue to work with community leaders to promote safety and health training among small businesses. The grantee also conducts safety and health training for small business employees and helps small businesses develop a safety and health program for their establishments. About 635 people in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia will be trained.

• Hutchinson Community College, Hutchinson, Kan., $50,000, to continue to hold one-day workshops for small business employees and employers on a variety of safety and health topics. The college will also conduct safety assessments that include assisting small businesses with their safety and health programs. About 1,400 people in Kansas will be trained.

• International Union, UAW, Detroit, Mich., $121,500, to continue to provide safety and health training to small businesses where the union represents workers. The program includes safety and health committees, ergonomics, workplace hazards, and train-the-trainer training. About 495 people nationwide will be trained.

• Laborers-AGC Education and Training Fund, Pomfret Center, Conn., $150,000 to develop a safety and health program training course for small construction employers. The course will be pilot-tested and then distributed to interested parties such as unions and employer associations. About 265 people nationwide will be trained.

• National Safety Council, Itasca, Ill., $100,000, to continue to expand the number of council chapters that are able to deliver a two-day small business course developed under a previous grant. About 350 people nationwide will be trained.

• West Texas Safety Training Center, Midland, Tex., $82,256, to continue to conduct eight-hour training sessions on safety and health for small businesses in English and in Spanish. About 300 people in West Texas and New Mexico will be trained.

• York Area Labor-Management Council, York, Pa., $67,500, to continue to provide an eight-hour training program for small businesses in its area. The training is available in one, two, or four sessions, enabling small businessmen to select the one that best suits their schedule. About 165 people in York County, Pennsylvania, will be trained.